Take a walk through Loch Lomond in July and early August and see if you can spot this plant, the gray-headed coneflower. This native plant (Ratibida pinnata) has yellow drooping petals arranged around a grayish-brown center. It’s attractive to native bees, and its seeds get eaten by birds in autumn. It’s fairly easy to grow in your garden where it’s sunny and dry to partially moist. Look for it on Lomond Drive south of Killarney Pass Circle behind the two stone structures dividing the street. Earlier this summer, Ohio spiderwort, which are soft blue and native to Illinois, bloomed in this space. Now they are being replaced by the gray-headed coneflower.
Searching for coneflowers
